SLAYER: Video Footage Of Costa Rica Press Conference

June 17, 2011

SLAYER members Kerry King and Dave Lombardo took part in a press conference this past Wednesday, June 15 in San Jos, Costa Rica ahead of their concert tonight (Friday, June 17) at the city's Estadio Ricardo Saprissa. A couple of short clips of the question-and-answer session can be seen below.

According to the Costa Rican newspaper Aldia.cr, Lombardo explored the local nature by taking a trip yesterday (Thursday, June 16) to Teleferico del Bosque Lluvioso, which is an aerial tram ride inside one of the most complex communities of life on Earth, a kingdom known as the canopy of the rainforest.

SLAYER kicked off its South American tour with a headlining concert on June 2 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

Gary Holt of EXODUS is once again filling in for SLAYER founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman who in January contracted necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite, and has been undergoing surgeries, skin grafts and intense rehab since.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya told Billboard.com that the band will not return to the studio until Hanneman has fully recovered.

"There's no way we'd go into a studio without him," Araya said. "As a band we're not going to do something without him. He's an integral part of the band. We require his musical skills, his writing skills. He's an integral part of the band. So we're going to hold off until he's at 100 percent and can join that process and be part of it."

Hanneman stepped onstage with SLAYER at the April 23 "Big Four" concert in Indio, California, marking the first time he has played with the band since last October. Hanneman surprised the crowd of 50,000 when he walked out onto the stage, unannounced, and played the two-song encore, "South Of Heaven" and "Angel Of Death".

"It was a big deal for him to play for us it was, too," Araya told Billboard.com. "We thought that would be a nice surprise for everybody and also make everybody aware that he's still there. It's pretty severe what he's going through. He's had skin grafts, and he's got to rehabilitate his arm and get it back in shape again. It's going to require a lot of time."

(Thanks: Eduardo Rodrguez Caldern)

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